When butt welding two sections of pipe, the ends of the pipe are typically bevelled so that the abutted pipe ends define an annular recess therebetween for receiving a weld. Typically the weld comprises a bead formed in a first pass, followed by fill, and completed with a cap at the exterior of the pipe. To ensure adequate strength of the weld, the bevels must be within a prescribed range and the finished height of the weld relative to the outer pipe walls, known as the cap height, must also be within a prescribed range.
Various gauges are known to assist a welder in measuring that the pipe ends are cut at an appropriate bevel before welding and to assist a welder in measuring that the cap height of the weld is suitable after welding. Examples of weld gauges are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,142 by Baker and U.S. Pat. No. 2,389,842 Cummins. In each instance the gauge includes multiple components which must be carefully calibrated for each use. The gauges are unnecessarily costly and complex to manufacture and are prone to errors if the movement components are not properly aligned.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,121 by Barefoot discloses a weld gauge for measuring an internal bead and is not relevant to cap height or bevel measurements.